Rocking My World Friday

As it's New Year's Eve I thought I'd do round up of my gratefuls for the year...so...in no particular order....

My DS who is growing into a very nice and thoughtful young man and who still hugs me when he thinks I need a hug even though he's 21.
My OH who has supported me through some difficult times this year and who hugs me too. He also puts up with my having taken over the dining room as my craft area without moaning (well, not much!).
Max my bestest friend who makes me laugh and gets me out of the house (even when it's snowing) and who is a wonderful hot water bottle.
Friends who have kept me going this year with thoughtful gestures,emails and messages wherever they live - thank you - you know who you are.
I love all of these  people to bits.

Facebook for letting me keep up to date with all of the above and my family in the NE.
Santa who brought me some wonderful pressies this year.
Amazon for not only keeping me supplied with books but for the Kindle...I can now read "on demand" and have just discovered it plays music too - I've finally learnt how to download and transfer music - yay!!
Ebay - for all the weird and wonderful things for sale (esp. vintage earrings).
Various craft websites for keeping me supplied with stash and inspiration.
A Maze of Memories for stash and inspiration too but also a wonderful space to "play" in.

And finally..the GPs, carers and the Hospice at Home volunteers who cared for my Dad and enabled him to die in his own home with dignity. For that I will be forever grateful.

Where Did Christmas Go?

I can't believe it's over!
We had a quiet but enjoyable family Christmas. The last of the presents were delivered on Christmas Eve, the cake was iced and mince pies made.
The Heston Blumenthal pudding was sensational - pleased I didn't sell it on ebay!
I had the odd low moment (missing Dad) but enjoyed myself on the whole.
DS has now gone back to Bristol for New Year - most of his friends from Thame are going to join him on New Year's Eve - wonder if Bristol knows what's going to hit it?

I've also managed some crafting time.
The LO was for a sketch challenge on WeScrap and was made with Basic Grey "Wassail" papers and embellishments.
I finished my Dec. daily journal too. I even found some book rings big enough to hold it together (last year's 52 Q & A are now floating around loose!).

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I'll be back on Friday with my gratefuls for the year.

Rocking My World Friday (and, yes, I know it's Saturday - again!).

Oops! A Friday post on a Saturday (again) but it is very early Saturday - I've been up since 04:30 - and not by choice I might say.
So...gratefuls for this week..
First has to be the marvel that is a steroid injection - directly into my right shoulder - that has seen me pain free for the first time in a couple of weeks and thus able to write again. Also my wonderful GP who made the actual process pain free - I'd heard some horror stories about injections into joints.

Next has to be Amazon for allowing me to make a wish list - it has obviously been read and acted upon as parcels that I'm not allowed to open have started to arrive. Got to admire DS too for the nous (cheek?) to order via my Amazon account and thus save his student pennies!

Said DS who is due home either today or tomorrow,depending upon the weather and who has offered all sorts of help over Christmas (including,hopefully,not bringing mountains of washing).

Man Utd. who regained their "rightful" position at the top of the premiership by beating Arsenal on Monday. Out of respect to the Gunners in the family (OH and DS) I didn't crow (well, not a lot).

The internet (again) for allowing us all to do our Christmas shopping - just hope the weather allows it to be delivered. Hoping the same for my food order which is due on Weds.
The weather has already caused one company to cancel a flower delivery I'd organised for a friend who's having a knee op on 21st. :(

The organisers of this year's Royal Variety Performance who made it watchable - I actually enjoyed it and had a good laugh (much needed).

On Thursday I would have been listing the England cricket team but then Friday happened....

Hope you've all had a good week and are full of Christmas spirit (Brandy would be my choice).

Rocking My World Friday

A short list this week as I'm in the grip of pre-Christmas depression...

OH for watching "Eclipse" on DVD with me  - although he did nod off once or twice and said it was a bit long (lesser of two evils though as the alternative was Man. Utd. v Valencia).

DS who had a long chat to me and made me laugh and who will be home on 19th..with promises of help with the cooking on Christmas Day.

Ebay for helping me finish my Christmas gift shopping - just waiting for parcels to arrive now - I do love getting parcels even if they're not for me. I don't like parcels that get lost though...two have gone astray, both from Amazon...the UK one is esp. annoying as it's DVD's to watch over Christmas. 

And finally my cyber friends who've been supporting me this week - you all know who you are and I love every single one of you.

Rocking My World Friday

Well it's Friday again and time to reflect on the week gone by.
Firstly, I'm grateful that we haven't had the bad weather (only a sprinkling of snow but lots of ice and a chill wind) that lots of people have had. Do  feel sorry for Max though as he's missed out on playing in the snow. :(
Sky+ is next - due to modern technology I was able to record "The Good Witch's Wedding" on Monday- I was thus able to watch that rather than the second half of the Carling Cup football on Tuesday and did not ,therefore ,witness our first defeat in 30 games.
The internet has continued delivering Christmas, in the form of food goodies and presents this week (even a little bit of stash :)). OMG, that makes me sound just like Margot in "The Good Life"!
OH has had a frustrating week with his car - it was serviced on Monday and it hasn't worked properly since - this is not a joke! Finally, the car has gone to Aylesbury to be fixed....thank you to whoever arranged the replacement car ..we now have an Audi Q7 for the weekend...complete with tinted windows! I have to climb in (so not a good look!) and do feel that a people carrier is a bit excessive for two people and a dog ----but I'll make the best of it!
 We took it for a little drive this afternoon and stopped in Waitrose to do some more bits of Christmas food type shopping . My heart was all aflutter when we left.....we bumped into Brendan Cole doing his shopping ..well we passed him in the coffee and confectionary aisle. That beats the time I saw "Pat Butcher" doing her shopping. :)
Hope you've all had a good week .

My December Journal

So far, so good - I'm keeping on top of my journal - made notes yesterday but didn't print the photos until today (waited until I had enough to fill a sheet of wallet size prints).

The bottom photo shows the front of days 1 and 2 with their acetate overlays where I've put the numbers.
The second photo is the reverse sides.

All Set for December.

After a crafting filled afternoon (yesterday) I am now ready to journal  my December.
I made this for a "Something old,something new.." challenge on WeScrap.
The old - all the chipboard, transparencies, Basic Grey "Figgy Pudding" papers, letters and numbers (Papermania), Cosmo Cricket "Be Good" papers  and sentiments,inks.
The new - Echo Park "Wintertime" papers and journaling cards, Fabscraps frames, corners and sentiments, acrylic tags,stamps (Tim Holtz, Crafty Individuals), ribbons (Crafty Ribbons).

Since I took this photo all the acrylic tags and transparencies are now numbered (with stickers) and various wooden and chipboard embellies have been added courtesy of Scrapinette - I do love getting parcels! Not bad service either as I only ordered on Thursday and the parcel came from France. :)

It's going to be a rather thick journal so I may have to use the Binditall rather than the rings I was intending to use.
Now I just need to have my camera at the ready and fill my days with interesting activities!

Rocking My World Friday (and, yes, I know it's Saturday).

Another week that went waaaaaay too quickly!
I did intend to write this yesterday but when I sat at the computer last night I was enveloped by a wave of tiredness and ended up in bed at 10p.m. (as OH said," It's a bit early for you isn't it?"). This was thanks to Max who decided I should be up at 6a.m. and wouldn't stop licking my face until I was out of bed - thanks Max!

This week I am again grateful to the internet..Christmas shopping is slowly being delivered... I keep having sudden flashes of what would make a great gift for s'one and, hey presto, a few clicks later it's ordered.
Also grateful to our Town Council who arranged for the French Market to visit for three days this week - wonderful smells (shrimps and garlic, fresh bread, yummy soaps and herbs) and a new festive tablecloth in my bag.

I've been able to do lots of crafting this week (the massive steroid injection is still working its' magic). Spent a great day at A Maze of Memories last Saturday (results can be seen in earlier posts) with friends. At home I've made a couple of presents by altering clipboards (photo above of first one) and have made progress on my Dec. daily journal. Unfortunately I ran out of suitable numbers so just had to place an internet order with Scrapinette (in France) where they had some beautiful Christmas ones - I know Christina, I should have saved my pennies for next Friday (lol!) but I couldn't find these stickers anywhere else, no-one in UK seems to stock this brand.
As always I'm grateful for family and friends who keep me on an even keel - I'm prone to depression at the best of times and am not really looking forward to Christmas this year. It'll be the first without Dad. Thanks to you all - you know who you are.:)

Friend LO

As promised (even if a day or two late) here's the LO from the class I did on Saturday afternoon.

We used Bazzill cardstock and patterned papers from the "Ebony & Alabaster" collection by the Black Market Paper Society - these papers almost felt like fabric.
We used a variety of punches (Martha Stewart and EK Success) on the corners, to create the frill round the large circle and a border.
We then made Skallanders as embellies - very,very fiddly but they look good!
The originals were simply black and white but I decided to lighten my page by using a purple as close to Pat's trousers as I could get. The ribbon is from the shop at A Maze of Memories where we did the class. Finishing touches - faux stitching and a couple of purple gems. Title was cut on the Cricut.

My Christmas prep seems to have come to a stop (apart from feeding the cake)...my pile of Christmas reading is growing (5 books so far) and I've
 done some internet shopping on the Boots website.
Today five clipboards arrived - I have plans for those but feel I need to make some more cards before I tackle them. :(

Nothing much else to report but the week is young yet!

Mun-kee Update and Christmas Cards

Talked to DS tonight and he said that technically he no longer had the twins (i.e two of the triplets) as one was in Bristol with him and the other was in his room somewhere....I found him and that explains all the noise! He was in amongst the guitars (five at last count) and keyboards... he's now with the rest of the "family" downstairs where I can keep an eye on him!
Somehow I've promised DS a Christmas Mun-kee of his own (along with the tea bags...that's no hardship as OH and I don't drink tea!).

On a more serious (but not very) note ..here are the cards I made this morning at A Maze of Memories. We had great fun painting on acetate,matting and layering...for the first time in ages I actually enjoyed card making ..thanks Christina!

I also did the afternoon class with Pat and Jan but will post the result tomorrow as I have a finishing touch or two to add.
Needless to say I also did some stash buying...I managed to resist the new Basic Grey collections (by repeating "I do not need ANY MORE paper even if the new stuff is lush!)..but I did buy some promarkers and a circle scissor cutter...rather Christina had my money than the taxman..but that's another story.

Rocking My World Friday

First off an apology to all you Rockettes for the lack of a post last week. I'd intended to write my post Friday evening but things cropped up that left me feeling very upset and more than a little depressed - not good when one is counting one's blessings.

So onto this week - gosh, is it Friday already? That means a craft filled day tomorrow! All day!! Yay!! I will share the results next week.

First grateful is the Internet. Without this wonder of the modern world my cupboards would be bare and Christmas would be cancelled. Friends would never hear from me and my life would be oh so dull. My crafting would be pitiful. Sites that deserve a mention....ebay,Facebook,Amazon,Sainsbury's to You, WeScrap.

Friends have played a big part in my life this week (OH went up to Scotland on Weds. and has yet to return) whether taking me out for coffee and yummy cupcakes (Pat), feeding me, wine and Max, dog biscuits (Audrey),sending me funnies (Carole) or poking me (Gill)- I love you all.

Sky Plus which allowed me to record The Apprentice on Weds. so I could watch the football - why oh why did I bother? Watched The Apprentice last night - much better than the football.

Movies 24 which has started showing the odd Christmas film. I'm still not feeling very Christmassy but I've enjoyed having s'thing to watch in the desert that is daytime TV.

And finally Max -- for keeping me company, keeping me warm at night and all the cuddles.
Could have done without the barking at and fighting with the vacuum cleaner though!

Hope your weeks have been good ones.
Hugs,
Sue xx

Welcome Christmas Monkey!

This little chap arrived at our house this afternoon, looking very festive in his reindeer T-shirt.

Tonight he'll be settling in with his Dad (Sidekick), one of his older brothers (Chimp - he's a triplet but the other two have gone to Bristol) and Cristiano the Red. Just hope there's no wild partying tonight! Normally I'd join in but I'm shattered!lol

She's Got the Look.

This was a fun LO to do - it's for a colour challenge on WeScrap.
Bazzill cardstock,patterned papers by My Mind's Eye (Bella,Bella - French Fleamarket),flock alpha,Basic Grey brad,K&CO journal. tag, Prima flowers,button and ribbons from stash.

I found the photos at Dad's. I'd heard about my mother's "look" when she was a toddler as it  became a family joke when my cousin's youngest
 started doing it too. I hadn't realised that I'd also inherited it until I came across the old photo of me.
Don't know what had upset either of us...but we weren't happy!lol

A Wonderful Afternoon!

Had a wonderful afternoon at A Maze of Memories playing with alcohol inks etc. And no, I didn't get messy as gloves were provided - the messiness came later!
Today was a demo day with Lindsay Mason.
Lindsay showed us lots of techniques using alcohol inks and distress inks. Then Diane and I both did the Make and Take. I turned my card into a Christmas card when I got home..having bought some new stamps..and the sticky backing...my b'day season really is stash filled (I promise to do a post soon!).

We created the background and  dyed the flowers and the ribbon with alcohol inks. When I got home I stamped the tree and sentiment (using archival ink) and sprinkled glitter over dots of glossy accents. This is where it got messy - black ink and glitter is so not a good look on fingers!

Please check out Lindsay's blog, where she has lots of ideas and techniques...and a fabulous giveaway!

Rocking My World Friday

Yes, it's Friday again and time to reflect on the week just gone.
This week I'm grateful for being able to soak in the bath in warm scented water with a good book and the radio tuned to Absolute 80's . The 80's wasn't "my" decade so couldn't understand why I know so many of the songs - then it hit me - I used to listen to Chris Tarrant on Capital Radio while driving to work, either cross-country to Bletchley or down the M40 to Beaconsfield - happy days.
I'm also grateful for good books. This week I've been to Oslo with Jo Nesbo (Nemesis), Hawaii with Kathy Reichs (Mortal Remains) and Norfolk with Rachel Hore (Place of Secrets). I've been feeling unsettled in the evenings when it's got to the time I used to phone Dad so it's been lovely to snuggle down and be transported to other places.
I've been reading Kathy Reichs for years - it's her and her books that the series "Bones" is based on - word of warning - as good as the TV show is (esp. David Boreanaz)...it's nothing like the books.
The Rachel Hore book is one of the selections for Richard and Judy's Book Club - I picked it up in WH Smith as part of a BOGOF promotion. So pleased I did as it's gripping. This one will be going into a Charity bag (I only keep certain books now as we're running out of space) unless someone out there would like to read it and then pass it on to someone else - I'll happily post it to you.
A Maze of Memories where I spent a lovely Saturday morning doing an Autumn LO (result in previous post). It helped ease me back into crafting (as well as allowing me to meet up with friends) and I've managed some tags,25 Christmas cards ( with my Anna Griffin kit and some bling) and another LO which I'll put at the end of this post. Tomorrow I'll be going back for a demo day with Lindsay Mason - distress inks and alcohol inks - plus a Make and Take. Diane will be there too.:)

Photos from the 70's (note the mini skirts!) taken at my aunt's house. It's my mother's side of the family with Auntie Jean, Gran and my mother, my brother and my two cousins. Bitter sweet memories as three of the people in the photo have passed on - my Gran in 1984,my mother and my cousin Ann in 2002.

Off to link this up on Vrginia's site. Hope you've all had a great week.xx

Sue xx

p.s.The usual suspects have been supportive again this week ..and girls the b'day bouquet is still going strong!

Autumn Splendour

This is the LO I made on Saturday @ A Maze of Memories along with Pat,Jan and Diane.
It felt so good to be crafting again and of course I did some stash shopping for my "birthday season".
The LO was made using Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey "Pyrus" papers,stamps and brads, EK Success and Woodare punches.
Title was cut  @ home using Cricut "Storybook" cart. and Tim Holtz/Sizzix "Vintage Market" die.
We also learnt a new technique - bleaching. You can see the result on the stamped pears.

Rocking My World Friday

Can't believe it's Friday again - where did that week go?
I've spent most of the week home alone while David was in Scotland - he got back last night @ almost 11.
So..gratefuls this week...
David for "putting up" with me for 30 years - we've now been married for 29 years (and yes, I know you get less for murder!).
My online crafty friends who surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my birthday - thanks girls, they were a wonderful surprise (and a great start to my b'day!). Thanks too for all the handmade cards ,ATCs and other goodies that came my way - love you all.
Special thanks to Sue-bubbles for "inventing" the b'day season (rather than just a day) with the rule that you HAVE to buy stash. I've done my best Sue - photos to follow! 
Max deserves a BIG thank you this week for keeping me company,keeping me warm and generally just being his usual cuddly self.
My DS and OH who despite being far away from me kept phoning to check I was OK. Love you both very much.
My friend Audrey and her OH who fed me food and wine on Tuesday and generally cheered me up (sorry you had to watch the footie at the same time!).
My parents for collecting a wonderful Denby dinner service - I've brought it home and intend to use it every day and enjoy the happy memories it brings back.
My mojo which has returned and saw me crafting yesterday evening for the first time in months - I'm so glad you're back!
Now I just need to retrieve my camera(it's been awol in Scotland) and take some photos for the Autumn class I'm taking at A Maze of Memories tomorrow - a good end to the week.:)

Birthday Flowers.

This gorgeous bouquet arrived at 08:30 on Monday - quite made my day! It was from five of my "crafty friends" and was totally unexpected. Thank you all - you know who you are! Also showing are some of the beautiful cards I received - thank you again, esp. for all the handmade cards - they'll be going in my treasure box.

In the afternoon my friend Audrey came to visit with her son,DIL, their 3 girls and 2 dogs. Max had great fun in the garden with Pepper and Roxie.
The girls presented me with two bunches of glorious roses - thank you!

I had a good (ish) day and the house looks wonderful with all these flowers.
Did you guess that I LOVE flowers!lol

Rocking My World Friday

It's been a strange week again but I do have lots of gratefuls.

My DS who flew up to Newcastle from Bristol (it was waaaaay cheaper than the train) to be with us for Dad's funeral - you were a great support.

My OH for being there for me too.

My family (brother, SIL and nephew) for a great night out before the funeral - yummy Italian food and wine and laughs.

All the people who came to the funeral - it was comforting to know how loved and respected Dad was.

Dad's local "The Grand" where we had the "wake" - the staff and regulars looked after him so well (I love their tribute on Facebook).

Friends who continued to send hugs and sparkles (real and virtual), cards  and messages - thank you all.

My own home and bed - it feels as though I've been away for months rather than weeks and it's taking me a while to adjust but I'm getting there.

And finally..Crafty Steals for keeping me supplied with stash - I may even use it one day. At the moment it's enough to just look and stroke! If you haven't visited the website.....you should (I know Gill will agree with me!lol).

Thank You!

A big thank you to all of you who have sent me hugs,sparkles and prayers, whether via this blog,Facebook or email.
They are all very much appreciated. I'm sorry I'm just not up to individual replies at the moment - still feeling numb and very, very tired.

The funeral (cremation) will take place in Durham on Monday morning.
All being well I will be home by Tuesday evening with all my boys (DS is travelling up from Bristol on Sunday). That will be weird as ,by then, I'll have been away for five weeks - I just hope for some normality.

We've had to start clearing the house - Dad has lived here for 55 years and even though we did some sorting when my Mum died (2002) there is still soooo much "stuff". Sorting through it has brought back lots of memories - for some reason all my school reports (from Infants to A level) have been kept - they made very interesting reading!lol

We're going down to Dad's local tonight to organise the after funeral tea - though I have a feeling it will be a proper wake.

Until next week.
Hugs,
Sue xx

My Dad 16.02.1926 - 09.10.2010

Dad passed away last night with me holding his hand. Love you Dad.xx

Rocking My World Friday

A quick post (I keep losing internet access still - very frustrating) to update you all.
I'm still grateful to the same people as last week, for the same reasons, but have to add:

Online friends who've sent me hugs, sparkles ,prayers and messages - I'm grateful for them all.

Other friends who phone to check on how I'm coping and to ask after Dad.

My brother who took some time off work to share the load at the beginning of the week - we had a wonderful walk on Tuesday with Sam and Max (our dogs) - the sun was shining and it was great to be out in the fresh air - even though our route took us through the local cemetery. 

Dad's friends from his local who took it in turns to visit him last weekend - he was really pleased to see them and he brightened up.

Dad is getting weaker by the day, can no longer sit up and is sleeping most of the time. I had a sitter from the local hospice last night and it was bliss to be able to sleep through. Thanks Denise.

More district nurses are calling now (he has an injection to help him settle for the night) and I am in awe of their gentleness and professionalism.

And finally ...thanks to Max for being my constant companion..he is becoming very well known...every nurse and carer who visits knows about him having been told how friendly he is ... Max just laps up the attention as his due!

I Know it's Not Friday but...

I tried to post this yesterday but my internet access is variable at the moment and I lost a very long post (was timed out as I'd lost internet access) so here goes.....

I do have some gratefuls even though it has been a very hard week.

Basically, my Dad is dying and all we can do is make him as comfortable as possible. He's getting his wish, to die at home and I've signed a non resuscitation form (saddest thing I've ever had to do).

I'm grateful to..

 his GPs who sprang into action at the beginning of the week and organised medication and care.
 my OH ,David, who stayed with me as long as he could and left Max with me when he had to return south for work.
my nephew,Anthony, who has shopped for me and sat with Dad so that I could walk Max.
my brother for also sitting with Dad so that I could walk Max (and pop into the pub for a couple of drinks and a chat) and for coming home early with Sue, his wife, today and organising a Chinese take away (eaten whilst watching Strictly).
my SIL who is taking me out tomorrow, probably to the Metro Centre, for some respite and fun
to Max, my "hot water bottle" and comfort
to the District Nurses who have been wonderful with Dad
to the carers who have treated him with dignity
to my friends who have sent me sparkles and hugs and generally let me know they are thinking of me
to all Dad's friends who have visited over the last couple of days to let him know how well thought of he is (but why so many females?!!! I gather he's been a bit of a charmer at the local pub ).


I am definitely not grateful to the hospital he was in recently (no names but the initials DM will have meaning to people in the area) - they did an ultrasound scan of his kidneys which showed that his prostate cancer had spread into his liver...it would have been nice if they could have passed this information on to his GP...they didn't, so Dad was at home for three and a half weeks without the appropriate medication (morphine, as it is incurable).It also meant that we had to break the news to Dad - thanks Anthony for volunteering.
Sue xx

Rocking My World Friday

I'm still at my Dad's and he's still not improving. The last 10 days have been a

strain and I have done no crafting to speak of but I do have some gratefuls.

First and foremost is my OH who has now joined me at Dad's. Not only did he bring himself but he also brought Max and all my mail. Super hugs from Max and various delights in the mail - my August ATC from Maria - it's beautiful and really cheered me up - thanks Maria; my October copy of Creating Keepsakes - full of inspiration; my prize from Tiare on ScrapnFIT - a beautifully put together kit from Classy Coordinates - thanks Tiare. I'll ignore the electricity bill that was also in the pile!!

Next is the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Leeds for letting us stay there with Max even though they normally only allow small dogs (Max was a big hit and everyone knew him by name before we left! He now has friends in North Carolina). As David was working in Leeds I travelled down by train to meet him and look after Max. The visitor information centre found us the hotel (thanks to them too) which was in the city centre and 5 mins walk from the car park (OH works for NCP).Max and I watched the cricket in the bar during the afternoon and the very helpful barman then switched to Sky Sports 2 so that I could see Man Utd's Carling cup game in the evening. David and I had a lovely meal too. Bliss.

My nephew Anthony has been a source of help and support - shopping for us and filling in for me. Thanks Anth - you really are one in a million.:) Thanks too for finding me the box of photos no-one knew about - a veritable treasure trove of old family pictures. Heritage pages coming up!

David has now gone off to Newcastle for the day (work), the district nurse has been and my bro and SIL are coming over this evening for "discussions" - we're leaving on Tuesday...

I'm hoping for fine weather tomorrow so that I can finally get to visit Graphicus in Barnard Castle on the way up to Middleton-in-Teesdale. My Mum was brought up in River Terrace and I have many happy memories of playing in the river  - want to take Max there for a walk (down memory lane for me, to a place of new smells etc. for Max).

Sue xx

MIA

Sorry I haven't blogged for over a week but I haven't really felt up to it.
Dad is not improving at all and it's a constant struggle to get him to eat or drink anything. I'm phoning and asking for his GP to visit tomorrow. Just hope he can help.

I'm far away from my stash and am missing scrapping. I managed to make a card for a b'day I'd forgotten about (have a small stash here but mainly for cards) but no camera- so no photo!
The picture above is of my altered clock - minus hands (a long story but it will be finished eventually.) I had a great day sitting with Diane at A Maze of Memories - it was lovely to just craft without interruptions.

The LOs and card were made on Sunday for a crop on WeScrap - these were three of eight challenges (only managed three as the crop started Saturday but I didn't join in until Sunday).

The first LO had to be about our favourite holiday and include  three photos,a tag,either stitching,buttons or ribbon (I managed all three!).

The second was a challenge to do a LO in French - right up my street! The photo is of me with Serge (the boy whose family I stayed with) in 1969. I uploaded the photo for the "I dare you..." challenge which was to show a photo from your High School years. Thought I may as well use it for a LO too. The title isn't clear but it's "Moment de detente a Paris". Papers are Lavender and Lace (from AMOM).

The final challenge was to do a card or LO with pennants. I made the card for Vicky's 21st - it's changed a bit since the photo was taken - I took the black shrink plastic off and replaced it with white - stamped with butterflies and the no 21 and silver ribbon through  a hole in the top.

I'm off now to sort through more old photos.

Sue xx

Rocking My World Friday

Oh boy - it's Friday again - why is this year going by so fast?


My first grateful of the week has to be my optician - for getting my glasses back so fast!  I've been able to read (four books) and craft again without getting a headache.


My OH deserves an honourable mention for watching "New Moon" with me and for not laughing even if he did find some of the storyline weird - I keep telling him the books are better but to no avail. I've bought him the new Terry Pratchett so he's happy with that.


Amazon deserves thanks too - for keeping their promise and emailing me as soon as the DVD release date was set for "Eclipse" - my copy has now been pre-ordered.


Tiare at ScrapnFIT for her wonderful sketches and for the inspiration to stick to a healthy eating plan - 1lb down on the first week - another 19 to go.


Christina at A Maze of Memories - firstly for the kit I used on my "Dessert" LO and secondly for holding tomorrow's all day class where we will be altering a clock. I'm looking forward to getting inky and messy and generally having fun. Diane has promised to save a seat next to her - so we'll have a good laugh too.


My DS for keeping in touch - have a great weekend at Bestival on the Isle of Wight - and don't do anything I wouldn't do (let's face it that pretty much gives you free rein!).


And , as always, my online friends - for making me laugh and keeping me sane (well, as sane as I'll ever be).


It's been a good week all told - would be even better if my and Gill's parcel from Cafe Press arrived today - all will be revealed next week!
Hugs,

Sue xx

New Challenge LOs.

This LO of my Dad is for a scraplift challenge on WeScrap.
Papers,brads,acetate and title are all from their "Fanciful Frames" kit.
Flowers are Prima
Buttons are Foof-a-La
Ribbon from stash
Orange trimming from scrap paper and a Martha Stewart punch.

This one is for a sketch challenge on ScrapnFIT. It took me longer to sort the papers than it did to do the LO.
Bazzill cardstock and white "edging" (under title).
Papers from stash - the red was in my bag of scraps and I don't even remember buying the blue.
The ribbons,chipboard buttons and flower,brads and title were all free with a magazine - Le Monde du Scrap.





It's been a day for deliveries here - groceries from Sainsbury's ,Tim Holtz stamps from ebay and distress inks from QVC - and, yes, they did all arrive at the same time, much to the delight of Max - he got to bark a lot and have strangers tickle his tummy.

Sight of the day - me scrabbling about in a black wheelie bin. The black bin is for non-recycleable rubbish and is emptied every two weeks - it wasn't yesterday (that was the green bin full of recycleables). I lost the protective cover from my scissors and it was the only place I could think of after I'd searched my craft area - got a bit keen throwing out the plastic from my inks! Sure enough there it was at the bottom - gross. It has now been thoroughly washed and disinfected - so have my hands.
Hugs,
Sue xx

Not Rocking My World Friday but Shaking My Saturday!

Apologies for being 24 hours late with this but by the time I got round to it last night I could hardly see. My reading/computer glasses are having new lenses fitted and boy am I missing them. Just going to have to pace my reading/craft/computer activities over the weekend. :(

This week has been much better than last. Dad is out of hospital (no scan results as yet but a big cut down in the amount of meds he has to take) and has a carer going in three times a day to prepare meals. This will be ongoing over three weeks so I shall visit him after that when I'll be of more use.

So...my gratefuls this week...

A Maze of Memories where I cropped last Saturday. It was wonderful to get out and see friends and just scrap for three hours without interruption - bliss! And then of course there was the stash shopping...
On which theme I thank QVC and Anna Griffin for solving my Christmas card problem... I bought the kit! I know a lot of people don't see this as "proper" card making but for me it's perfect. I shall still make special cards for family and close friends but don't need to panic when I lose days to my arthritis. Also I am very much a scrapbooker now and don't enjoy card making nearly as much as I used to.
I am grateful to Jo for introducing me to Collage Coterie - I have signed up for the classes and am looking forward to learning new techniques...when I get my glasses back!
ScrapnFIT deserves a mention too. I have signed up for the 90 day weight loss challenge and am also enjoying the sketch challenges. My "Room With a View" LO won the August challenge. Thanks Tiare - it was a lovely sketch to work with.

No crafting this week as I was still feeling down for most of it so other media have had to fill the gap!
Thank you to Swedish TV and BBC4 for the Wallander series. I've just watched the last one (for me - it was actually the first one broadcast but I missed it) and feel sad it's finished. Krister Henriksson was superb as Wallander.
Twilight (I know, I can hear you all saying "Not again!") which I watched with OH as he hadn't seen all of it.He enjoyed it and is ready to watch New Moon - I watched it again on Thurs. and I still cried even though I've read the book twice and seen the film three times!
The Headbangers Bible and Housework songs have been cheering me up this week too - well, they saw me through the "i" word.

And finally my online friends who have kept me busy poking them/vying for best celebrity lover on Facebook (Gill - that's you!), given me an ear to moan into (Val and Jan), sent me funnies to brighten nauseous Weds.(Carole) or generally just been there - too many to mention individually but you know who you are.

Lots of little gratefuls and a better week ahead.
Hope it's the same for all you Rockettes and fellow bloggers.
Sue xx

Fellow Scrapbookers!

To raise a knowing smile and laugh please visit Victoria's blog. It just sums up scrapbooking perfectly.
Enjoy!

Crop LOs

I cropped yesterday at A Maze of Memories while Pat did the class. I thought about doing the class but it was a summer LO using photos of this summer. At the moment I'd rather forget this summer and didn't have any photos.

I really appreciated the chance to get away and  enjoy three hours peace and quiet.

The first is an old photo that was passed on to me by my SIL. DH had never seen it before - hence the lack of journalling - all we know is who is in the photo (I've written that at the bottom of the page).  Bazzill cardstock, all patterned papers and embellies by DCWV "The Linen Closet" (in a handy kit!),ribbon from John Lewis - thanks Pat!

The second is photos of the view from the hotel patio where SIL had her 60th birthday lunch. All papers are Club Scrap "Nature", flowers are Prima or from stash ( again thanks Pat for the dark green fabric flower with pearls!),ribbon from stash and ribbon brad by docrafts, alphas by DCWV and Doodlebug. The sketch is by Tiare Smith from Scrap'nFit.

Today I am not feeling happy or talkative. I am,in fact, very upset. It's all to do with Dad being in hospital and how he's reacting. I won't go into details but my world has well and truly been rocked and not in a good way.

What's Rocking My World Friday.

Oops - nearly didn't make it!
I've spent most of today either snuggling (damp weather is not good for my joints) or on the phone.

It's been a funny old week and not in a good sense. Dad was taken into hospital on Tuesday and is still there. Apparently they want to do some scans and as they weren't done today he'll probably have to wait until after the Bank Holiday weekend.
I'm firstly grateful to the carer who was with him when his legs gave way and promptly called for the ambulance.
Thanks to my nephew who has done most of the visiting and has kept me informed by text.
Thanks also to my friends (you know who you are) who sent me Weds. funnies in spite of having major problems themselves and who made me some gorgeous ATCs - really cheered me up.
Thanks (again!) to Twilight and the Headbangers Bible. As I was home alone, apart from Max, on Thursday afternoon I watched "New Moon" and then listened to some oldies but goodies.
Thanks too to my friend Pat who is taking me cropping tomorrow - I just hope I can find my mojo.
I have done some crafting this week - my August ATCs. I know one has arrived safely so I've  posted  a picture of them. The theme was "Butterflies".
Hope all the Rockettes and my blog readers have had a good week.
Hugs.

Getting to Know Me

Ally tagged me on her blog today and these are the questions I'm going to try and answer:
Gettin' to Know Me...



1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?


Nope... I don't blog anonymously and wouldn't want to. I don't ever leave a negative comment as I was brought up to believe that if you can't say anything nice, say nothing.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side
Far too many to list. It's usually just my family that see this side of me.



3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the face in the mirror?


I see my mother. As a child everyone said I resembled my Dad but as I've aged I look more and more like my mother.


4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Diet coke or a fruit laden Pimms!


5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

I take a book and have a long soak in the bath (good for my joints) or I spend time in my scrappy corner.


6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

.I always wanted to play the piano but my fingers are too small. I also wish I'd persevered with the M.Ed I started with the Open University.


7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school? Describe who you were if not one of these.


I was one of the class nerds (and the greatest producer of red herrings he'd ever known, according to my English teacher).

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?


I'm at the vet's with Ben, our white rabbit.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?


I find it relatively easy to share my true self although I do keep some things back. I enjoy (and find comfort in) my posts for Rocking My World Friday.


10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?


I would sit and read - in fact I'd rather sit and read than do many things - esp. the "h" and "i" words.

Who to tag?   Jacquelin and Val

Normal Service Has Been Resumed/Rockin' My World Friday!

Yay! I am back in both home and  cyberworld!

My laptop developed a major and frustrating fault last week just as I was going to my Dad's. Thought I could deal with it but....it was beyond me. Add to that 36 hours without internet connection followed by access with a weak link and I was pretty much offline all week. No crafting either apart from a 3rd b'day card for my great niece.

So my grateful list this week also tells you the tale of my week away.

First is my DH who spent all last night and this morning working on my laptop and fixed it. Love you D and I missed you.

Next is Max who hasn't left my side since I got back and who patiently (if somewhat bemusedly) listened to me on the phone while I was  away.

My Dad who isn't well at all  - we still managed some quality time even if part of Tuesday was spent at hospital getting his eyes checked (he has cataracts).

The staff and customers of the Grand where I had my usual wild Saturday night - the band were great and it was so good to meet up with old friends, even if I didn't get home until 03:00 Sunday morning!

Barbara, my Dad's next door neidhbour for letting me use her wifi.

Tracy, my Dad's other next door neighbour who has turned my messy hair into a sleek blonde bob.

Sally, my best friend forever (we've known each other since she was 18 mths old and she was also my bridesmaid) - we bumped into each other in a coffee shop as she was visiting her Mum. Since her family home is in Preston and she works in London and neither of us knew the other was visiting this really is amazing!

My nephew and his girlfriend for services above and beyond. He borrowed Twilight and New Moon on DVD on Friday evening and they watched them back to back. They definitely wanted to see Eclipse. So off we set on Tuesday for the Metrocentre for the 18:10 showing. Got caught up in traffic,legged it across the wet car park and arrived at 18:10 only to find....it wasn't on. This despite the iphone listings (as we stood in the foyer) and the Odeon website saying it was! Cut our losses and had a meal at Frankie and Benny's - very yummy! Further searching on iphone revealed the film was showing (for one performance only at 20:00) the following day at Teesside Park. So after work on Weds. off we set. Asked if I was getting excited I said that I wouldn't until I saw it start! Well I did! What a wonderful film and OMG Edward on the big screen! Lots of sighing and drooling. Thanks Anth and Lesley!

And last but not least my DS who has been home this week and stayed around especially to see me. He leaves tomorrow so don't know when I'll see him again. And special thanks to him for allowing me to get my laundry fix!lol

For The Love of Twilight

Hah! Managed to find OH's camera - he said it was broken but I got it to work - then couldn't find any leads etc. Soooo, I borrowed a USB thingy (note the technical terminology here) and managed to upload both my LO and today's stash from Crafty Steals.

The LO was made with Club Scrap (A Study in Red) papers and embellies, title was done with Doodlebug rub ons and thickers.

The stash is American Crafts "Botanique" and I couldn't believe how much was in the kit for $39. Postage wasn't too bad and it only took six days - result!!

Also had some parcels from QVC last clicks - they're now hidden away.

Max and I are home alone tonight but we have plans...well, I do.
Watched "Twilight"  at lunchtime then finished the LO. Sorted my new stash while listening to Muse (apparently some of "New Moon" was inspired by their music  - and no I didn't buy it specially! I bought it for DS ages ago and have now inherited the CD...pity I can't find the Arcade Fire CD I bought as well).

Next is a walk for Max - if it's not raining too hard and I feel up to it - my right leg is painful as I messed my injection up and had to use two syringes.
Then...pizza for tea while watching New Moon with a glass of chilled white wine - I know I'll feel awful tomorrow anyway so what the heck?!
After that bath and bed.
Tomorrow I'm joining Sue-bubbles in a duvet day whilst gearing up for the England match - surely they won't be as bad as they were in South Africa? Personally, I wouldn't bet on it .

May check into Facebook later.
Hugs,
Sue xx

Latest Creations and a Challenge for You!

I suddenly realised that I haven't uploaded any LOs for a while - I have done some crafting in between reading/rereading/watching/rewatching the Twilight saga.
The four LOs were all for July challenges on WeScrap - unfortunately I've forgotten most of the details! doh!

As far as I remember...the double page Le Touquet LO was made using Club Scrap (Mirror,Mirror) papers and a We R Memory Keepers gromlet; Friends used K&CO (Roam) papers and fabric brad;the Christmas in July LO used a kit by In My Mind's Eye (Festive Collection);Dreamer was made using papers by Memento (from France).

I'm hoping to do some more crafting this week as OH is off to Manchester for a couple of days, so Max and I will have the house to ourselves.  I'm planning to start on the August sketches and challenges for WeScrap as I have some lovely photos from Saturday when OH and I went to his sister's  birthday lunch at Danesfield House Hotel (Marlow).

Uploading will be delayed though as my camera is also going to Manchester...
and on Friday I'm going to visit my Dad for a week - should have internet access (even if I have to visit a local bar!lol) but will only have limited craft supplies.:(

Your challenge is....Can you guess the theme of the LO I'm hoping to start tonight?

The first person to guess correctly before I leave on Friday (10:00) will receive a crafty prize which will be posted week beg.23rd August (when I'm back from Dad's).

The clues are there! Hope you join in!

What's Rocking My World Friday?

Where to start? The beginning of the week I suppose...

First I'm grateful to Twilight (again) as the DVD of "New Moon" eased the chore of dealing with the ironing mountain which is no more - until I next do the laundry! I did have to stop and sit down a couple of times - I cried at the same bit of the film as I did with the book. Speaking of which ..Robert Pattinson made me cry again on Wednesday. I thought the DVD of "Remember Me" would ease me through the afternoon - oh boy! Definitely a full box of tissues job. Crying is good for your eyes - mine must be fighting fit by now! The DVD is now on its' way to Carole - if anyone else would like to borrow it please let me know and Carole can post it on to you instead of back to me. 

Best thankfulness of the week is reserved for DS and his girlfriend who arrived on Tuesday evening to spend a few days with us. They're now on their way back to Bristol to pay the deposit on and pick up the keys for the house 10 of them will be sharing for the next year. DS made my lunch today - thank you for a wonderful toasted ham,cheese and tomato sandwich!

Thanks to OH for taking us all out to Prezzo last night for a yummy Italian meal - good food and good company - perfect.

I'd also like to thank Gordon Ramsey for his baked cheesecake recipe (it appeared in the Sunday Times magazine several years ago)  - it is always delicious esp. when served with a mixture of summer berries and it went down well on Tues. evening.

I'm also grateful to Facebook as a fun way of keeping in touch with people and a place for interesting adverts for "must have" items such as sparkly Team Edward T-shirts and mugs with the words - "I'm having trouble dealing with the fact that Edward Cullen is a fictional character" - priceless!

And finally I am grateful to Krister Henriksson and the team that made "Wallander" - I've been recording series 2 on BBC 4 and watching them whilst having lunch. I really hope there will be a third series, if only to improve my speaking of Swedish...at the moment it's limited to "Tak" which means thank you (and I learnt that in Denmark over 30 years ago)lol! I can pronounce Malmo with a Swedish accent too.

I have lots of things to be grateful for this week but am feeling a bit flat today for obvious reasons.

Hope your weeks have been as good.

Hugs,

Sue xx

p.s. mustn't forget Sue-bubbles for making me buy yet more stash from QVC! She recommended a kit in the last click section and two others "fell" into my basket as well. Naughty me!